The Aussies have managed to keep their heads above the financial waters mostly through the mining industry. They have very similar H&S legislation to the UK ( I'm an Aussie). They seem to be able to cope with strict H&S in the mines and also keep the country's economy going. The same goes with industry in Germany who have also managed to stay relatively strong during the financial crisis while still applying good H&S On another note, our friends at the Daily Mail have been rather quiet on his latest rant cheers